Arab-American Community Presentation at Westmoor High School
Category Archives: Cultural Competence
Community Legal Services in EPA Staff Trained as Mental Health First Aiders
Attorneys, immigration advocates, and office managers from Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto became Mental Health First Aiders in February and are now trained to provide help to those experiencing a mental health problem or challenge.
Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto provides transformative legal services to diverse and disadvantaged communities in San Mateo County to support individuals and communities affected by immigration, employment, housing, and consumer law.
For more on Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, go to http://www.clsepa.org/
Mental Health First Aid is a FREE 8-hour certification course that teaches community members how to recognize and appropriately respond to an individual experiencing an emotional or behavioral health challenge, including depression, anxiety, psychosis, and substance abuse. Mental Health First Aid is provided by the Office of Diversity and Equity, BHRS and supported by funds through MHSA (Prop. 63)
If you would like to host a training or are interested in attending, please contact Natalie Andrade at nandrade@smcgov.org or 650-372-8548
Bridging Spirituality within Clinical Practice
On February 23rd, members of the Spirituality Initiative presented at a training entitled “Bridging Spirituality within Clinical Practice” at the SMC Ground Rounds.
Dr. Paul Yang, Dr. Farah Zaidi, Dr. Barbara Weissman, Renee Prior-Johnson, and Eduardo Tirado presented how spirituality assists clients in their recovery. Dr. Zaidi and Dr. Yang shared two vignettes on how their clients used spirituality and the meaning it had for each of them. Both psychiatrists had encouraged them to explore the impact of spirituality in their lives. Dr. Yang urged those in attendance to be open their own personal spirituality as he believes that it assists providers in being more caring and loving, thus enables them to be more present with each client they encounter.
Ms. Prior-Johnson, who is a part of Adult Resource Management, shared two vignettes of AOD clients who she had assisted with exploring their spirituality. This is something that she had done for years and has found it to be an effective way of encouraging and supporting a strength in each person.
Mr. Tirado shared his personal story of his continuing recovery from his addictions. One of the comments made by an attendee was that he/she “learned more about hope” from Mr. Tirado.
Several of the attendees when asked in the evaluation what they learned said that they needed to listen more carefully to their clients and allow spirituality to be a part of the recovery process. When asked what changes they might make in their practice several said they now felt more comfortable in talking with their clients about spirituality.
For more information about the Spirituality Initiative, visit their website.
Chinese Health Initiative Kicks Off Mental Wellness Education Series
The Chinese Health Initiative (CHI) conducted the first in a series of mental wellness parent presentations – “Achieving Success and Balance in the Modern Day” at Mills High School on February 26. The purpose of the series is to educate parents of students at high achieving schools where a high level of stress is common, on the importance of mental wellness and how to improve communications with their child.
Two simultaneous presentations – one in English and the other in Chinese – were held with a total number of 50+ participants. This event proved to be a crucial resource to parents as it began conversations about their child’s mental well-being and the Q&A session demonstrated the parent’s engagement to the material presented. The presentation was well-received and parents and school administration have expressed interest for more workshops that delve deeper into the material covered.
The next event is a Parent-Child Interaction workshop planned for April, to continue this conversation and teach parents practical skills to effectively and compassionately communicate with their child to promote their mental wellness. For more information about CHI, visit www.smchealth.org/chi.
February 25th Workshop: Achieving Success & Balance in the Modern Day
Two workshops will be presented simultaneously in English and Mandarin (Cantonese translation available) on the following topics:
- Adolescent development
- Parent and adolescent relationship and communication
- Resources and knowing when to ask for help
See to the flyer for more info: English flyer, Chinese flyer. Learn more about the San Mateo County Chinese Health Initiative.
Another HAP Graduate Receives George Culores Hall of Fame Award
Michael Lim (left) accepts award from Betty Savin (Commissioner).
Every year the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Commission (MHSARC) honors individuals who have found their way to a path of wellness and recovery from mental illness and have been active in the consumer movement to better the lives of others in San Mateo County. This year, we are very proud of Mr. Michael Lim, one of our BHRS Health Ambassadors, who was one of the honorees of the George Culores Hall of Fame Award.
On January 6, 2016 Mr. Lim was recognized for his ongoing dedication and efforts to better the lives of others through education, advocacy, outreach and volunteering at numerous health and recovery focused events. In addition, Michael gives hope and inspiration to our community members through his own journey of recovery.
Michael shared a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that has inspired his work: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that…” Reasoning that there is much work to do in the areas of Stigma and educating the public about mental health. This quote has motivated Michael to do all he can to learn and be involved. Propelling him to make healthy changes in his life and sharing his journey with others.
For more information on the Office of Diversity and Equity’s (ODE) Parent Project ® please visit http://smchealth.org/bhrs/ode/CommunityEd#parenting
For more information on the ODE’s Health Ambassador Program (HAP) please visit http://smchealth.org/bhrs/ode/CommunityEd#HAP
For more information on our MHSARC meeting please visit http://smchealth.org/mhsarc.
36th Parent Project Class Completed
The Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) has been coordinating Parent Project® classes across San Mateo County since 2010. We are proud to announce that we just completed our 36th parenting class. Each class is 12 weeks in length and focuses on providing practical and emotional support and knowledge to parents.
So, what is so wonderful about 36 classes? For us, it’s the incredible experience of reaching 629 parents in our community. It’s also about directly impacting 1,672 children that live with our Parent Project graduates!
Do you, or does someone you know, want to be part of this amazing group of individuals that have worked to better their familial relationships? If so, visit http://smchealth.org/bhrs/ode/CommunityEd#parenting
Know The Signs Campaign
In June, 22 community members were trained to facilitate a 1-hour training on the topic of suicide in Spanish called “Know The Signs.” This training teaches community members about the possible warning signs of suicide, how to start the conversation about suicide with someone, and where one can find resources and help if needed. Check out four of the graduates giving presentations to our San Mateo High School graduates on December 8, 2015!
Ines and Amada
Eva and Rosa
En junio, 22 miembros de la comunidad fueron entrenados para facilitar un entrenamiento de 1 hora sobre el tema del suicidio en español llamada “Reconozca las señales.” Este entrenamiento enseña a los miembros de la comunidad acerca de las posibles señales de advertencia de suicidio, cómo iniciar la conversación sobre el suicidio con alguien, y donde se pueden encontrar recursos y ayudar si es necesario. Mira 4 de esos graduados dando presentaciones a nuestros graduados de San Mateo High School el 08 de diciembre 2015!
Meet our newest Parent Project Facilitators
Congratulations to our newest ODE Parent Project® facilitators! These 3 individuals completed a week long training in San Jose, honing their facilitation skills and learning various techniques from the creators of the Parent Project®, Ralph Fry and Dr. Roger Morgan. Congratulations and we can’t wait to have you begin teaching in our communities!
Pictured from L to R: Dr. Roger Morgan, Rocio Lemus, Darryl Stubblefield, Alexi Rosales, and Ralph Fry.
To learn more about our upcoming Parent Project® courses, please visit: http://smchealth.org/bhrs/ode/CommunityEd
Central County Tree of Thanks
Central Adult Mental Health clinic invites clients, family members and staff to share what they are thankful for. Our Tree of Thanks has been well received and reminds us all of the good things in our lives. We encourage everyone to take a minute to stop by and share what you value in your life. 
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